


Open my chest, A heart you could steal.

by fireplanetz



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Adorable Connor, Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), First Kiss, Fluff, Gavin Reed Needs a Hug, Gavin Reed Redemption, Gavin Reed-centric, Gavin basically realizes he's in love with Connor, Hank is Connor's dad, M/M, NOT rk900 we don't ship gav900 in this house, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Touch-Starved Gavin Reed, Written from Gavin's POV, back at the Bridge, because he is, christmas at the office, connor can eat and also breathe HC, connor is so cute, connor is special, connor showing gavin just how much he loves him, everything is good and perfect, gavin might be ooc but its because hes in luv ok, happy endings forever, its snowing in detroit, no smut but super fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 08:28:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16657639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fireplanetz/pseuds/fireplanetz
Summary: Gavin blinked, his eyes locked on the android’s light blue LED that glistened on the side of his head. He let out a shaky breath and stepped forward until he stood beside the bench, his shoulders bunched as he tried to keep himself warm. “How did you know it was me?” He asked.Connor hesitated, his LED turning yellow for a moment before it cycled back to blue. “I’d recognize your heartbeat anywhere.”





	Open my chest, A heart you could steal.

Sometimes Gavin wondered if Connor could read his mind.

He knew that it was a silly thing for him to wonder. Of course Connor couldn’t read his mind - at least, not in the way you might expect. Connor wasn’t like a superhero in comics and movies that could put a finger to his temple and read someone’s private thoughts. Honestly, Gavin prayed that Connor couldn’t read his private thoughts. Especially the ones that flashed through his mind whenever he thought of Connor in rather… compromising situations. 

No, Connor couldn’t read minds, he was sure of that. However, the android could come up with a pretty accurate description of someone’s mental state simply by analyzing them. He was built to be able to analyze vitals such as heartbeat, blood pressure, stress levels, and similar things that were invisible to the human eye. 

Gavin had known of Connor’s ability to scan the people around him, but he never really thought that Connor might be using his abilities to scan  _ Gavin _ . He remembered the first time that Connor mentioned his increased heart rate.

It was December, a little over a month after the liberation of the androids. Connor had been given a permanent position as an “Android Relations” detective, much to Gavin’s dismay. It seemed that, in spite of deviating from his programming, Connor truly had a passion of detective work. And he was good at it.

The thought infuriated Gavin. He had spent the past fifteen years working at the DPD, and eleven of them were spent as an officer working his ass off to be promoted to the detective rank. He’d worked hard for his position - countless late nights spent pondering over impossible cold cases, thousands of cups of low-grade coffee, and hitting more brick walls than he could count. Over a decade of giving his life to working for the police force - and it had taken Connor a month of achieve the same. 

A  _ month _ .

It was no surprise that Gavin had a particular distaste for androids. He’d told Connor to his face numerous times how much he detested him - how it seemed that someday soon the androids would replace them all. It was infuriating.

Especially because it wasn’t his anger that caused Gavin’s heart to pound in his chest every time he saw Connor.

Connor was good looking, he was willing to admit. Created to perfectly integrate with humans both in appearance and personality. Gavin sometimes wondered if it was truly necessary how they gave Connor soft, seemingly flawless skin and a tuft of hair that was strategically misplaced on his head to give him a more  _ human _ facade.

It wasn’t just his looks either. Connor was  _ perfect _ . He was always kind, always ready to please. Sure, he needed to work on his social skills, but he always seemed to know exactly what to say. Perhaps it was the infinite source of knowledge within his brain, his ability to assess a situation and know exactly how everything would turn out. 

Gavin scowled at the thought.

He never told anyone about his feelings for Connor. No - not feelings. He didn’t have feelings for an  _ android _ . It was lust, that’s all. And he didn’t tell anyone. Not even Chris, his best friend. 

No, this was something he wanted to keep to himself. A side of him that  _ no one _ was allowed to see. No one was allowed to see that he might be falling for an android. A fucking android.

At least, that’s what Gavin wanted. He forgot the part where Connor seemed to have the innate ability to read his fucking mind.

It was at the office Christmas party - a time of the year that Gavin was never particularly fond of. The winter holidays always reminded him of how truly pathetically lonely he was. He didn’t have any family to spend these holidays with. His mother lived in a home after having a stroke that left her practically immobile and unable to remember her own children and his older sister lived on the other side of the country. 

As a result, it always made him bitterly angry at how goddamn  _ happy _ everyone was during Christmas time. Everyone was surrounded by their friends and family. People who loved them. 

Gavin was standing beside his desk, holding a warm cup of coffee in his hand and leaning against the wall beside it. His eyes flicked to where Chris was standing with his wife, an arm around her waist and laughing at everything she said. It was one of those moments where Gavin was reminded that, even though Chris was his best friend, there were still people in Chris’s life that meant more to him than Gavin. 

Even Connor seemed happily content to be spending the holidays with Hank. The two of them, assigned as case partners when Connor joined the police force, were laughing and talking with the rest of their colleagues by the table of holiday treats. Gavin noticed that Connor was holding a half eaten cookie in his hand and scowled. Why would a fucking robot want to eat a cookie? Could he even eat?

Somehow, Connor seemed to realize that he was being watched. His gaze pulled away from the officers around him and locked with Gavin’s. The detective looked away, taking a sip from his coffee and tapping his shoe impatiently. Anger bubbled inside him as he recognized the pity in Connor’s eyes. He didn’t need anyone’s pity - especially not from a fucking android. An android who seemed to have more friends and family than his human coworker.

“Detective Reed.”

Gavin’s head snapped up as he heard Connor’s voice interrupt his thoughts. The android had crossed the office and was standing just a few feet away from Gavin, a look of concern on his face. The detective wasn’t sure how Connor had been able to approach him without a sound, and he furrowed his eyebrows as his gaze locked with Connor’s.

“What do you want, tin can?” Gavin shot at him, clicking his tongue to force himself to sound annoyed. His eyes widened as Connor stepped closer until Gavin could see every freckle and pore on his face, causing the shorter man’s breath to hitch in his throat. Connor paused and tilted his head to the side, seemingly aware of Gavin’s sudden discomfort.

“Are you okay, Detective Reed?” Connor asked, his voice concerned and a bit… sympathetic? Could androids even feel sympathy? Gavin shook his head, bringing a hand to his face to pinch the bridge of his nose. 

“I’m fine.” Gavin scoffed, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Connor hesitated for a moment, blinking as he pondered what he should say next. His slight head tilt and the way his eyes seemed to go unfocused as he ran through bits of dialogue in his mind was infuriating - especially because it was so goddamn adorable.

Gavin’s breath hitched again and his heart fluttered. Fucking android.

“Your heart rate is very irregular.” Connor explained after a moment of silence, “I suspected it might be the excessive and unhealthy amount of caffeine you have ingested lately, but I’ve noticed that your blood pressure and heart rate appear to raise significantly when you see me. Have I done something wrong?”

_ Goddamn fucking android and his weird fucking ability to- wait. _

“Have you been scanning me?” Gavin asked, his voice cracking slightly. “Like the way you scan suspects in the interrogation room? What the fuck, Connor?”

Connor blinked, surprised by the detective’s response. “I’m sorry, Detective. I was designed to be hyper aware of everything around me at all times. I wasn’t aware that it bothered you.”

“Of course it bothers me!” Gavin’s voice came out higher than he intended, and his gaze flicked around the room nervously as a few of their colleagues looked in his direction. Lowering his voice, he continued. “It’s fucking intrusive. You might not be aware since you just recently gained a fucking conscious, but there’s a thing called  _ personal space _ .”

The android’s eyes widened, pursing his lips as he took in Gavin’s words. “I apologize. It won’t happen again, Detective Reed.”

With that, Connor turned away and padded back across the room to Hank’s side. The older man glanced at Gavin over the android’s shoulder, and scowled at him. Rolling his eyes, Gavin tipped back his head and downed what was left of his now-cold coffee. 

That was when the fear set in. Could Connor read his mind, too? Gavin needed to control his feelings better, especially now that he knew Connor could read him so easily. He needed to bury his feelings deep down, maybe so far that Gavin himself would forget about it. 

That was the first time Connor read his thoughts.

For the next year, Connor didn’t mention it again. Sometimes Gavin would notice the android’s eyes land on him for several seconds longer than he needed to, and he immediately knew what Connor was doing. 

“My eyes are up here, jackass.” Gavin would snap at him, receiving a guilty look from the android. 

However, it seemed that Connor was honestly trying to make an effort. As much as it annoyed - and terrified - Gavin that Connor could read him, he knew that it was so deeply imbedded into his program that it was hard for him to stop. But over the next year, he noticed the way Connor honored his promise. He stayed out of Gavin’s way, pointedly ignoring the way his heart would absolutely race whenever Connor was near. 

It was February, exactly fourteen months after the Christmas party, when Connor did it again.

The last snowstorm of the season had hit Detroit, leaving a thick blanket of snow and ice over the city. It was one of his rare days off, and Gavin found himself driving around the city, taking in the beautiful white world that would soon be gone. 

Even though he had lived in Detroit for his entire life, and had seen plenty of snow storms, he still loved it just as much as he had as a child. There was something serene and calming in the snow - despite the freezing cold that made his hands ache and the old scar on his nose burn. 

He was driving through a small, cozy urban neighborhood when he saw it. His car was one of the few manual driven cars left, but it was fitted with the same large touch screen dashboard that everyone else had. His GPS was pulled up, and when he gaze flicked down to the map, he noticed a tiny blue dot not far from his destination.

Every officer at the DPD was equipped with a small tracking device in their vehicles that alerted other officers of their location - but this wasn’t a police car. No, it was none other than the fucking android detective that Gavin loved so much.

Hated. Not loved.

“What the fuck is he doing?” Gavin growled to himself, making note of the android’s location just a few blocks from where he was parked. Without making the conscious decision, he followed the highlighted route to a small park on the edge of the neighborhood.

Gavin had never been here before. As he pulled around the corner, he gaped in awe at the view of the city. The bridge was highlighted with the glowing lights of hundreds of cars traveling between Detroit and Windsor and the city glittering between the falling flecks of snow behind it. 

He slowly pulled into the small parking lot and cut the engine. On the far side of the park, he could see Connor sitting on a lone bench with his back facing Gavin. His hair was speckled with snowflakes and he appeared unmoving as he stared at the city. 

Gavin wasn’t sure why the situation intrigued him so much. He hated Connor from his stupid, perfect hair down to his ridiculous pointy shoes. He hated the way that Connor always seemed to friendly and concerned about Gavin, regardless of the terrible way the Detective had treated him in the past. He hated the way that Connor made his heart race and his palms sweat. He fucking hated it.

With a sigh, Gavin pushed open the door on the driver’s side of his car and stepped out onto the pavement. Fresh snowflakes gently landed on his head and shoulders, littering his dark brown leather jacket and his tousled hair. He stuffed his hands into his pockets as he crossed the parking lot to the twisting path that lead across the park. Snow crunched beneath his shoes as he approached Connor, and he was sure that the android heard him, but he didn’t turn around.

Gavin let out a low breath, watching as the clouds billowed from his mouth. He paused just a few feet behind the bench, suddenly feeling strange. Why had he come here? What did he plan to say to Connor? 

He was about to turn and run back to his car, desperate to avoid this moment, when Connor spoke. 

“Good evening, Detective Reed.”

Gavin blinked, his eyes locked on the android’s light blue LED that glistened on the side of his head. He let out a shaky breath and stepped forward until he stood beside the bench, his shoulders bunched as he tried to keep himself warm. “How did you know it was me?” He asked.

Connor hesitated, his LED turning yellow for a moment before it cycled back to blue. “I’d recognize your heartbeat anywhere.”

Now it was Gavin’s time to hesitate. His eyes widened and he stole a glance at Connor’s face. The android wasn’t looking at him, was hardly even blinking, as he gazed across the water at the city. The lights were beginning to glow brighter as the sun, hidden behind a wall of white clouds, set. Gavin couldn’t stop himself from thinking about how goddamn beautiful Connor looked, speckled with white snow in the evening light.

“I thought I told you-” Gavin began, a slight edge to his voice, before Connor cut him off.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

The detective wasn’t sure what to say. Connor had promised not to read him again, so why mention it now?

“Your heart is pounding so hard I’d be surprised if a human couldn’t hear it.” Connor explained, finally dragging his gaze away from the city to look at Gavin. The slightest hint of a smile pulled on his lips as their eyes met, and Gavin felt his stomach turn at the sight. It wasn’t often that Connor smiled.

Gavin sighed, side stepping until he stood in front of the bench, and sank down into the seat beside Connor. His hands were still stuffed in his pockets, and he turned his gaze to look at the bridge.

“I like to come here.” Connor spoke, as if he needed an explanation for his presence.

“Why?” Gavin asked, intrigued. It was strange, hearing that an android  _ liked _ anything. Over a year of living amongst the androids as equals and he still felt it hard to imagine them having thoughts and feelings like humans did. 

Connor let out a shaky breath. That was a thing about androids that not many people seemed to know. They needed to breathe almost as much as humans did. It was oxygen that fueled their thirium regulators, allowing it to circulate blue blood throughout their bodies in the exact way that human hearts did.

_ How strange. _ Gavin thought.  _ To think they have hearts just as we do. _

“Hank brought me here once. It was a few days after we met, before the revolution.” Connor began, “It was snowing, just like this. It was so beautiful - watching the city from afar. It was the first time I… understood.”

“Understood?”

“Yes.” Connor paused for a moment. “All the time I’d spent hunting androids, I had never paused to think about myself. What I felt. Then, Hank asked me something. He said, ‘Are you afraid to die, Connor?’ No one had ever asked me that. I’d never even thought about it. In that moment, I understood.”

The android turned his head to look at Gavin, brown eyes meeting gray. “I understood how the deviants felt. To feel  _ alive _ . I thought about dying and… I didn’t want to. I wanted to live. I wanted to have a purpose beyond what I was designed for. It was terrifying.”

“I never knew that.” Gavin breathed.

“I never talk about it.” Connor whispered, looking down at his hands. “I felt so much shame in that moment. Realizing how I felt something that I wasn’t supposed to.”

Gavin froze. He knew exactly how that felt. To feel shame and fear as a result of feeling something that he was terrified of. Just as he always did, Connor had managed to pluck a thought straight from Gavin’s mind and put it into words.

“I know how that is.” The detective began, closing his eyes to avoid Connor’s gaze. “I know how it is to feel shame.”

There was a moment of silence, and if Gavin had been looking, he was sure Connor’s LED would have turned yellow. 

“What do you have to feel ashamed of, Detective?”

This was the moment Gavin had feared ever since he first met Connor. All those months ago, when he had first laid eyes on the android. He’d seen how beautiful and pure Connor was. How perfect and amazing and wonderful an  _ android _ was.

Gavin had hated himself for feeling that way. He’d hated himself for the strength of feeling he possessed for something that wasn't real. Something that wasn’t human, and would never be. Someone he could love but never have.

But in this moment, sitting in the park, Connor felt  _ real _ . It suddenly didn’t matter that his skin was made of a different material than his own. It didn’t matter that he bled blue instead of red. In that moment Connor felt more real, more genuine, than Gavin had ever been. The thought brought pricks of tears to the detective’s eyes, but he refused to let them fall.

His heart  _ ached _ . The man - not the android, the  _ man _ \- he loved, was just within reach. Beautiful and raw and special and everything Gavin wanted. 

“I…” Gavin began, his voice shaking and his body tense. “I don’t know.”

He opened his eyes, stealing a glance in Connor’s direction. He noticed that Connor’s LED wasn’t yellow, but red. A deep, dark red. The android was looking at him with a look of so much understanding that, for a moment, Gavin wondered if he knew. 

Connor always seemed to know exactly how Gavin felt. He always seemed to know exactly what the human was thinking. But Gavin knew it was impossible.

“I know.” Connor breathed after several moments of silence.

Gavin couldn’t bring it in himself to look away. “How could you possibly know?”

The android blinked at him, the small smile returning to his lips. It was a smile that made Gavin’s heart pound and his stomach flip. Connor reached towards him, hands extended. Unthinking, Gavin pulled his hands from his pockets and let Connor take them in his own.

He’d expected an androids hands to be cold, like metal or plastic. But they weren’t. They were soft and warm and felt so  _ right _ holding Gavin’s hands, like they had been made just to hold him. Connor’s hands brought warmth to his own, his thumbs resting on the back of Gavin’s hands, radiating.

Connor leaned forward, his warm breath coming out in clouds that mingled with Gavin’s. His LED was circling red, and his brown eyes simmer to glimmer in the dying light. Gavin shuddered when he felt Connor’s breath on his lips, letting his eyes fall shut as his heart pounded impossibly hard in his chest.

He let out an almost inaudible gasp as Connor pressed his lips against his own. Their warmth surprised him, just had the android’s hands did. 

The world around him seemed to freeze. The crystals of falling snow dappled Gavin’s hair, melting against his flushed warm skin. The sounds of traffic and the steady rumble of waves in the water before them faded into silence. All he could sense was Connor. A warmth seemed to grow from his lips, filling his entire body, shattering the ice that had built up inside.

He felt Connor’s lips move against his own, unsure and afraid. He pulled away for a moment, and when Gavin blinked his eyes open, he saw fear in the android’s eyes. 

_ Why is he so afraid? _ Gavin asked himself.

He freed one hand from Connor’s grasp, reaching up to grab the back of the android’s neck. He pulled Connor back into a kiss, hungry and passionate and desperate. He felt Connor’s free hand rest on his thigh, radiating so much warmth that Gavin felt as though he had been burnt. He relished in the way Connor gasped into the kiss, and Gavin could taste his sweet breath mingling with his own. 

He’d never imagined that an android’s lips could taste like anything. But now he tasted every wonderful thing he could possibly imagine. Connor’s lips tasted like his favorite brew of coffee, like fresh sugar cookies, like the heat of fire. Like  _ love _ .

Reluctantly, Gavin broke away from the kiss, letting out rapid gasps as he tried to catch his breath. He opened his eyes and pressed his forehead against Connor’s, watching as the android’s LED spun through a network of so many colors that it made Gavin dizzy. 

“I’ve known for a long tie.” Connor whispered, opening his eyes to gaze into Gavin’s. “Ever since that Christmas party.”

Gavin sat there in silence, his hand still resting on the back of Connor’s neck. “Why didn’t you say anything?” He breathed.

“I-I was afraid. I wasn't sure I even understood properly.” Connor stammered, looking down at his hands. “You always seemed to hate me.”

Gavin brought his other hand to Connor’s face, cupping his cheek and lifting his head to connect their gazes once more. “I could never hate you, Connor.” He murmured, his breath hitching in his throat.

“There it is again.” Connor’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Your heart rate.”

Gavin was silent, unable to look away from Connor’s eyes. He found himself lost in them, marveling at the way they seemed so innocent. So  _ human _ . 

“You make my heart race, too.” Connor whispered, leaning against Gavin, his smile growing wider, more genuine. “It always has.”

Gavin hoped that was true. 

It was unfair, the way Connor could read him so well, and how he always felt completely in the dark about Connor’s feelings. Sure, he had his LED, but Gavin couldn’t  _ read _ him the way Connor could.

Weeks passed, and Gavin found himself falling more and more in love with Connor with each day. Every time he saw the android, he felt the usual flutter in his chest, and the warm memory of their kiss by the bridge. 

He had spent so long being angry and alone, he almost didn’t know how to exist in the state of happiness that Connor brought to him. He loved the way Connor brought out the best in him, and it scared him half to death. 

He wished he could know that Connor loved him, with the same certainty that Connor had for him. He wished he could see Connor’s thoughts. He wished he could find a way into the mind of the man he loved. He wanted  _ so bad _ to know that this was all real.

There was still a part of him that wondered if Connor really felt anything at all.

It wasn’t until months later, alone in Gavin’s apartment, that he finally saw it.

Gavin had invited Connor to his apartment in downtown Detroit, not far from the police station. It would be their first night together, and Gavin’s heard pounded at the thought.

He was terrified that Connor might see him, naked and vulnerable, and reveal that none of it was true. He was so scared that Connor might not love him in the way that Gavin loved the android - despite how many times Connor said it.

They had been sitting on Gavin’s faded leather couch, boxes of finished chinese food on the coffee table. Gavin was still shocked at the way Connor was able to eat like a human did. It seemed that Connor never ran out of ways to surprise him. 

Gavin wasn’t sure how their casual conversation about his favorite movies had turned into them with their lips pressed together, fingers knotting each others hair, in Gavin’s bed. Gavin was leaned over Connor, who’s back was pressed into the sheets, head propped against the fluffy white pillows behind him - Gavin gripping the android’s shoulders as he pressed kisses to his lover’s lips. When he lifted his head to look into Connor’s eyes, he was surprised by the look of love on the android’s face.

“I love you, Gavin.” Connor whispered, looking absolutely adorable under Gavin with his hair messed up and his lips swollen.

Gavin paused, a strange feeling coming over him as he looked down at Connor. His smile faded from his face, only to be replaced by one of sadness.

Connor blinked, his LED turning yellow, as he watched Gavin’s expression change. He lifted himself onto his elbows as Gavin sat back, looking down at the crumpled bed sheets beside them. The detective was wearing a tight white tank-top, which Connor had revealed when he hastily yanked the coat off of Gavin on their way to the bed. Connor himself was still clothed, except for his own jacket, and his eyes widened as he watched Gavin pull away from him.

“Did I do something wrong?” Connor asked, so concerned and afraid that Gavin almost laughed. His heart fluttered as he looked at his boyfriend, laying in Gavin’s bed with his bed sheets twisted around them. He never imagined he would get this far, and yet here they were.

Gavin sighed, realizing that he needed to answer Connor before the android panicked. He could already see the way his LED was spinning, turning a darker shade of orange as he looked at Gavin.

“No, Connor.” The human began, taking a deep breath. “I just…” He trailed off.

“What?” Connor pressed, sitting up farther to cup Gavin’s face in his hands. His fingers felt warm against the human’s skin, and Gavin was once more brought back to the day by the bridge. He had felt so sure that Connor loved him then, but now…

“Sometimes I don’t know if you do love me.” Gavin whispered, closing his eyes as he leaned into Connor’s touch. His voice was laced with so much desperation and he wondered if Connor’s heart ached in the same way his did.

“What do you mean?” Connor asked, confused. Gavin opened his eyes and saw that Connor’s LED had brightened back to yellow, but was still spinning as he desperately tried to understand Gavin. “I’ve told you that I love you. Why don’t you believe me? Don’t you love me?”

“Of course I do!” Gavin assured him, his voice shaking. “I just… You always seem to know exactly how I feel. You can read me better than anyone. But I… I can’t read you. I’m not an android, Connor. I can’t see your heart rate. I can’t see the same things you do.”

Connor was silent, and his LED turned blue as he seemed to understand. Gavin sighed, shaking his head, as Connor’s hands fell away from his face. 

_ Why am I this way _ ? Gavin asked himself, hating himself for the uncertainty and the fear inside him. Years and years of rejection and being alone had done this to him. Why couldn’t he believe that Connor loved him? Wasn’t Connor’s word enough? Gavin brought his hands to his face, biting his lip as he tried to hold himself together.  _ What if I’m not enough for him? _

“Let me show you.” Connor’s words surprised him. Gavin looked up, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The android was looking at him with so much love and understanding that Gavin felt as if his heart would burst.

“How can you show me?” Gavin scoffed, “Are you going to download your vitals onto a fucking USB drive?”

It had been the first time Gavin had sworn at Connor in a long time. Rather than being offended, Connor smiled that soft smile that always made Gavin’s stomach flip.

“Take my shirt off.” Connor ordered Gavin, mischief sparkling in his eyes.

“Connor, I-” Gavin began.

“Just do it.”

Gavin’s breath hitched in his throat as he leaned towards Connor. His hands found their way to the buttons on Connor’s white button-up shirt. Slowly, hands shaking, he pulled the buttons apart, listening to the satisfying  _ snap _ as they popped open. His hands found their way down Connor’s torso, until all the buttons had been unfastened, and his eyes marveled at Connor’s bare chest. 

The android raised his arms, and Gavin reached for the hem of the unbuttoned shirt. With a grunt, he pulled the fabric up to Connor’s arms, until he was able to pull the shirt over his head. He let the shirt fall from his grasp onto the wooden floor beside the bed, his eyes locked on Connor’s bare chest. He had seen Connor’s chest before, but never completely bare. His eyes trailed over his soft stomach to his arms, where a bright blue band glowed in a cuff around the upper portion of his right arm. 

“Look.” Connor whispered. He lifted his hands to his chest, and Gavin watched as fingertips turned white. Connor pressed the pads of his fingers to his sternum, and Gavin gasped as the skin pulled away like a screen.

Where Connor’s pale skin had been a moment before, Gavin could see past the fiberglass exterior to the blue thirium pump inside the android’s chest. It looked so similar to a human heart that Gavin couldn’t look away. He watched as the heart pumped regularly in Connor’s chest, beating silently as blue blood was circulated through the android’s body. 

Gavin had seen android hearts before. In damaged models, usually broken beyond repair, but he had never really  _ looked _ at one. It was a strange feeling, seeing the central unit of Connor’s body, just inches away from him.

Gavin had never seen Connor so exposed, so vulnerable. He dragged his eyes away from Connor’s heart to look at the android’s face. He knew the amount of trust Connor was placing on him, showing him one of the most precious parts of his body.

Silently, Connor extended one of his hands, the skin returning to his fingers. Gavin placed his hand in Connor’s and watched as the android pulled his hand to his chest. Like always, Gavin was surprised by the warmth of Connor’s body. The bare fiberglass exterior felt as warm as Gavin’s own body, and he could feel the rhythmic beat of Connor’s heart beneath his hand.

As Gavin’s hand touched his body, Connor’s breath hitched and his heart sped up, visibly pounding in his chest in reaction to the touch. Gavin’s eyes stretched wide as he saw the physical reaction to his touch, speechless with awe.

“You make my heart pound.” Connor told him, his voice barely more than a whisper. Without another word, he leaned forward. His hand was still wrapped around Gavin’s wrist, pressing the human’s hand to his chest. Gavin’s eyes fluttered shut as Connor pressed his lips to his own, letting out a tiny grunt as he did.

Beneath his hand, he felt Connor’s heart beat faster and harder. Gavin pressed his hand harder against Connor’s chest, desperately feeling for  _ more _ .

“I love you, Gavin.” Connor whispered against his mouth, and Gavin knew it was true. He felt the way Connor’s heart raced, just like his own, as the words came from his mouth. It felt so real, so similar to his own, that Gavin felt ashamed he’d ever doubted the android.

“I love you too, Connor.” Gavin breathed, opening his eyes to look at him. “So much.”

Connor smiled - a real smile. His eyes crinkled and his teeth beamed a dazzling white as he looked at Gavin, making the human smile back. Without a word, Connor pulled away, resting his back on the sheets of the bed. 

Gavin leaned forward, hovering over Connor, marveling at the sight of the artificial heart in his boyfriend’s chest as Gavin got near him.

He bent down and pressed his lips to Connor’s, feeling the android’s hands work their way to the back of his neck, where Connor pulled him closer. He didn’t need to see Connor’s heart to know how he felt, not this time. The love in his kiss was enough. It would always be enough.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> My first one-shot! This was beta'd by the lovely [wickedbad](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedbad/pseuds/wickedbad) who is working on an INCREDIBLE multi-chapter, slow burn Gavcon/Convin/Gav800 fic! Go check it out!
> 
> I have a headcannon that androids can breathe (explained in the fic) and also eat (not explained but just take my word for it)! I love Gavin and Connor so much okay I've been wanting to write this fic for ages and finally got around to writing it!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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